The new structure will have 1,383 parking spaces, replacing the existing dilapidated car park at the hospital. Work is set to take place in two phases starting late this year, with completion expected in late 2025.
The multi-storey car park is part of a wider estate strategy for a new hospital for which the trust hopes to secure funding and get built by 2030; the existing hospital is already 10 years past its design life.
A transport strategy and travel plan has been developed by consulting engineer Hexa, along with core civil and structural guidance to get the scheme through planning.
Matt Price, director of transport planning at Hexa, said: “Having started working on smaller schemes with the hospital trust and becoming involved with this car park scheme in 2021, it’s great to see the planning application has been approved. It is a much-needed facility for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, which will support the ambition for further improvements in future, including the trust’s bid for a completely new hospital.”
He added: “One of the main challenges of this plan was ensuring the accurate calculation of not only the current car parking demands of the hospital, but also what it may require further down the line. It was key to consider the displacement of parking during construction too, as the existing car park would be out of use for some time. We’re pleased our combined experience in the sector has supported QEH in getting this submission through and to develop a long-term strategy that will enable to provision of new facilities at the site.”
Design and construction consultant Exi Group was initially appointed to develop a car park strategy and an early outline business case (OBC) feasibility study for the car park. It has gone on to provide a full multi-disciplinary service. It has also collaborated with the Hexa team and other design specialists across a range of disciplines.
Exi director Ben Flounders said: “This project has shown the benefits of collaboration, and utilising specialised experts in key areas. Not only will this scheme act as an enabling project for the release of a key development zone for a future hospital, this multi-storey car park building will allow the hospital’s estates team to better manage and control its onsite parking demand in the short term, while benefitting from the latest technology such as parking eye automatic number plate recognition and app-based payment methods.”
Hexa was formed in 2019 in Nottingham by former Curtins colleagues, civil engineers David Strong, James Garment and Mark Jones.
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